Plus Lens Therapy – Natural Therapy for Myopia

Plus lens therapy, combined with eye exercises, can act as a natural therapy for myopia. Plus lens therapy can prevent further worsening of your eyesight (neasightedness) when performing close work, such as reading a book or working on a computer.

Plus lens therapy is one common method of preventing further progression of myopia (nearsightedness). In some cases, it has also worked to reverse nearsightedness. This method involves wearing "plus lenses" while reading or performing close work (i.e. working on a computer). Plus lenses can be purchased at a drugstore, Walmart, or any large retail store with a pharmacy. Plus lenses are also called "reading glasses," and have a plus symbol in front of the diopter (i.e. +1.00, +1.5, +2.0 diopters).

When you first begin wearing +1.00 diopter lenses while reading, the words will be semi-blurry since you are nearsighted and normally wear minus lenses. Hold the book as far away as you can—at the point where the letters are somewhat blurry, but still readable. Over time, you can begin to hold the book further away and still read the words clearly. This will halt (and sometimes reverse) nearsightedness. If your child is complaining that he cannot see the blackboard in school, you can begin plus lens therapy to reverse and prevent worsening eyesight.

Another natural therapy for myopia is better eye health through nutritional supplements. Eating a diet that is rich in fresh vegetables and fish is an excellent treatment for myopia. The vitamins E, C and selenium are important nutrients to ensure proper eye health. Fruits and vegetables are rich in carotenoids and the role they play in keeping eyes healthy is to protect the tissue of the eyes. Pumpkins, red grapes, eggs, corn and leafy greens are just a few of the foods that contain zeazanthin and lutein, carotenoids that are important to the health of the eye.

Another important factor in the preventative treatment of myopia is not reading too close and for long periods of time especially during childhood. It is a proven fact that children who read on a frequent basis with their eyes too close to the pages will suffer from myopia. Reading in this way strains the eyes and can actually change the shape of the eyeball which causes myopia. This is especially true in the modern computer age when not only children but adults spend long hours in front of the computer screen.